Greg Holloway
| cityofbirth = Bonneville | countryofbirth = St. Gregory | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = | position = Forward / Winger | currentclub = Otway Town (manager) | clubnumber = | youthyears = 1991-1995 | youthclubs = Bonneville United | years = 1995-1997 1997-2017 | clubs = Bonneville United II Bonneville United | caps(goals) = 444 (165) | nationalyears = 1998-2016 | nationalteam = St. Gregory | nationalcaps(goals) = | manageryears = 2019- | managerclubs = Otway Town }}Gregory John "Greg" Holloway (born November 22, 1979) is a Gregorian football manager and former player who currently manages Otway Town in League A. A striker and right-sided winger, Holloway played his entire professional career for Bonneville United and represented his country with the St. Gregory national team. From making his professional debut in 1997 until his retirement in 2017, Holloway made a mark both on and off the pitch. He is regarded by many to be one of St. Gregory's best footballers of all time, and won numerous accolades as a player and through his career with United. He is United's most capped player of all time and his 165 league goals for the club are second-most all time behind Kane O'Bray. Early life Holloway was born in Bonneville to Sophie (née Martel), who is of French descent, and John "Jack" Holloway, who is a third-generation Gregorian with English heritage. His father, a self-proclaimed patriot, told an interviewer that he named Greg after St. Gregory. He showed interest in both football and rugby at a young age but did not play either for local clubs until he was 9 years old. For his age, his physical size made him a fit for rugby but he showed interest in football's technique, especially footwork, and focused on that game by the time he was 11. Club career Bonneville United Academy Holloway was scouted by Bonneville United while playing youth football and at age 12 was invited to join the United Academy. He made his debut for the reserves team at United Academy at the age of 16 on December 9, 1995, when he came on as a substitute against an Armed Forces reserve team. He was signed to a professional contract on January 1, 1996, and spent spent a full season with the United reserves. Bonneville United At the age of 17, Holloway was promoted to the Bonneville United senior team and made his debut on April 12, 1997, coming on at right midfield for Mark Chandler during a home match against Swifton Athletic. His effect was immediate, as he set up a goal for Jan van Amstel late in the game to cap off a 4-1 win for United. Holloway would spend the rest of the 1997-98 season sharing time at right midfield with Chandler before being promoted to a starting role in 1998-99, a move that eventually forced Chandler into a transfer to Banks City. 1999-2000 was a breakout season for Holloway. His 14 league goals from the right wing were the most by any non-striker in League A history at that point, and as of the 2013-14 season, a record that still stands as of 2019. He added another 5 goals in cup competition – including the only goal in the final – as United won the league and cup double, their second double in four years. At the beginning of the 2013-14 League A season, Holloway suggested to reporters that the season would be his last. Years of physical play had taken their toll and he missed 4 matches due to injuries. However, following United's final match of the season, in which they finished runners-up in League A for the second straight year, Holloway announced to fans at Ford Stadium via microphone that he would return for another season in an effort to help United win another title. 2014-15 would be a renaissance year for Holloway. He opened his league account with a hat-trick (his first in three years and the ninth of his career) on October 25, 2014, in a 7-1 away win at Midland International. He also scored on his 35th birthday, November 22, converting from the penalty spot in a 5-1 home victory over Merrickton. A mid-season injury to strike partner Pavlo Ponomarenko meant Holloway spent much of the season as the number one target up front and he went on to appear in all 30 league matches, scoring 14 goals. On January 23, 2016, at Independence Stadium, Holloway scored his 150th career League A goal against Independence. He would go on to score twice more in the match, giving him his 10th career hat-trick as United won 4-0. During the 2016 SGFA Cup Final on May 28, Holloway came on as a substitute with 10 minutes to go and scored the final goal of the match as United defeated Swifton Athletic 4-1 to claim their sixth Cup title. It was rumored to be Holloway's last game with United, however on June 14, Holloway held a press conference to announce he had signed a one-year contract extension with the club and that he would retire from League A competition after that. Holloway was named in the starting eleven for United's 2016-17 League A season opener against Zane Hills on October 2, 2016. The home fans at Ford Stadium gave Holloway a standing ovation from 7:00 to 7:59 on the game clock, a reference to his shirt number, 7. Just 30 seconds later, Holloway headed in a cross from Jonathan Neal to score what would be the only goal of the game as United won 1-0. By starting and scoring in the match, Holloway became the first player in League A history to appear and score in 20 consecutive seasons. Holloway made his final home appearance for United on May 13 against Little Rouge, coming on as a substitute when Chase Morton was hurt midway through the second half. Holloway scored in the 76th minute to cap off a 3-0 victory and was given a 10-minute standing ovation by the capacity crowd after the final whistle. The following week, Holloway appeared in his last League A match in Battleport against Independence, who needed a win to beat FC Chapman to clinch the 2016-17 League A title. Holloway scored the only goal of the first half, his 165th and final League A goal, although it was not enough as United fell 3-2, with Independence taking the title in the process. During presentation of the League A trophy, Independence captain Torsten Schmidt invited Holloway up to the dais to make a farewell speech to the fans. Holloway's final match as a professional was the 2017 SGFA Cup Final against Rivergate on May 27. After a scoreless first half, Holloway opened the scoring less than two minutes into the second half. Despite Zane Brackney doubling United's lead 6 minutes later, Rivergate pegged United back through goals by Riley Ruby and Reinhard Bürger to force a penalty shootout. Holloway went first for United and converted his penalty with the last kick of his career, but Rivergate won the shoot-out 4-2. Retirement On the evening of May 27, 2017, after the Cup final, Holloway made a semi-official retirement announcement when he tweeted: :"Best 20 years of my life. Merci, Bonneville. Thank you, St. Gregory." Shirt number For most of his career, Holloway wore shirt number 7, a number previously worn at United by Tim Callaghan, who Holloway regarded as his mentor. The two played together from Holloway's debut in 1998 until Callaghan retired in 2000. Holloway wore number 20 during this time. Despite receiving Callaghan's blessing to wear the number 7 after his retirement, Holloway switched to number 70 for the 2000-01 League A season. Holloway relented and brought the number 7 out of unofficial retirement the following season, and United went undefeated en route to a League A championship. Managerial career Following his retirement from playing, Holloway spent the 2017-18 season away from football before joining emsport as an occasional pundit the following year. In a September 2019 panel discussion, Holloway said he would consider a maiden foray into management in St. Gregory's professional leagues in the near future, saying: "I want it to be the right team and the right opportunity, at the right time." During a November 24 match between Bonneville United and Otway Town at Otway's Trinity Park, media outlets reported seeing Holloway in the stands, chatting with Otway Town owner Stanford Collins. This led to speculation that Holloway may be considered as a potential replacement should the club decide to sack Al Meacham, who had won just one of his first eight games in 2019-20 at that point – that record would worsen to one in nine as United won the match, 5-1. The following day, Otway Town did indeed terminate Meacham's contract and Holloway was announced as his replacement. Personal life Holloway lives in Bonneville Shores and also owns a home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. He speaks French fluently, having grown up with a French mother. Throughout his career, Holloway has been the subject of media frenzy concerning his personal life, particularly his relationships with several well-known models and other personalities from both St. Gregory and abroad. He was most notably in a relationship with model and TV presenter Jordana Florence. The couple dated for two years before separating in September 2003. In December 2000, Holloway was arrested for reckless driving after being clocked at 97 mph in a 35 mph zone in his Ford Mustang Mach 1. He posted bail and was released, but was not suspended by the club. Holloway has a daughter, Shayna (born 2007), from a previous relationship. Holloway said of his daughter in a 2013 documentary: "Having her helped me view my life and my actions in a totally different way. I'm definitely not who I used to be because of her." During a 2013 interview with CM Sports, Holloway admitted to using recreational drugs, specifically marijuana and cocaine, earlier in his career. The SGFA fined Holloway $10,000, saying his admission brought the game into disrepute, but he was not suspended by the association, and Bonneville United did not impose any additional penalties. In a follow-up interview in 2017, Holloway stated that he rarely drinks alcohol now, and has been sober since 2009. In July 2014, Holloway met 27-year-old Californian music journalist Krysten Berry following an exchange on Twitter. The couple began dating soon after. They were married on July 11, 2015, in a private ceremony on the grounds of Holloway's home in Bonneville Shores. Krysten adopted the hyphenated surname Berry-Holloway following the marriage. The couple announced in December 2016 that they were expecting a child in April-May of 2017 and on April 21, they welcomed a son, Asher Prince. Holloway took paternity leave from the team, who had an SGFA Cup semi-final against FC Chapman that weekend, to be with his wife for the birth (United won the match). In August 2015, Holloway was invited by the St. Gregory national American football team to try out as a placekicker. The publicized tryout at the team's home ground of Harbourside Stadium in Warner Bay saw Holloway successfully make field goals from 20, 30 and 40 yards out in full uniform. When asked if he was a fan of American football, Holloway replied: "I never watched it much as a kid; I was too busy with association football. But my wife really loves the Chargers, so I suppose I like them now." Category:Manager pages Category:Otway Town F.C. managers Category:Player pages Category:Bonneville United F.C. players Category:St. Gregory national team players Category:St. Gregory national youth team players Category:SGFA All-Stars players Category:Retired players Category:People from Bonneville